TheTaxBook Selected as H&R Block's Exclusive In-Office Tax Reference Book

[WhiteOleander]

This year I am teaching the Basic Tax course for our office. It is very in-depth and teaches on just about everything. W-2. Sch C. Sch E , Sch D, Sch B, Sch A, Sch SE, Misc income for line 21, EIC, Education Credits. Retirement, Soc. Sec., Ethics. I could go on and on. The course lasts about 14-15 weeks and meets twice a week. They have to take quizzes, a Mid-Term, and a Final. They have to pass with at least 80%.

There are some offices that hire several people just for the rush that will last about 2 weeks. They are taught how to enter the W-2 and process the return. Anything more than that is assigned to a seasoned preparer. The return is reviewed by a seasoned preparer before it is filed. The people that are hired for a short period like that are aware that they are temporary. The IRS hires on temp basis also.

HTH

[JG EA]

Will all the HRB people now be accessing this forum for questions? Or will they have their own? ...

I would also like to know this. Will each employee have their own access to the board? Just curious. I don't have any opinion about it - just want to know.

[origun]

More comments about quality of HRB people!

As a person who has prepared taxes for Block for 12 years (after retiring from another 36-year career and a BA and a MA) and who is an EA, my observation is that Block has a variety of people working for it. There are some beginners with limited experience but people who stick with the company and take advantage of the good (and inexpensive) education available are as good as any other career tax preparers. Beginners doing very basic returns with clients sitting across the tax desk waiting for their EIC have access to experienced preparers in their offices who can give immediate help without waiting for feedback on this forum; at least that has been the case in my office. Also Block has a Tax Institute to which we can submit detailed questions (with attachments if necessary) and receive authoritative, detailed responses after a few days (usually). So relax...you won't be inundated with inane questions from novices.

[TaxmannEA]

I'm glad to hear that our local situation is not the norm. I also worked at H&R for 8 years before leaving to go on my own and was responsible for a lot of the training and quality control. The training and support at that time (1970's) was very good.
The students that I deal with were basic tax school graduates. I just think that the local office could do a better job of education in this course than they have been doing.

[AuditorTurnedGood]

This is true

There are some offices that hire several people just for the rush that will last about 2 weeks. They are taught how to enter the W-2 and process the return. Anything more than that is assigned to a seasoned preparer. The return is reviewed by a seasoned preparer before it is filed. HTH

In a lot of small to mid sized CPA and EA firms as well. It ends up being about not having enough time to do all aspects of a return from start to finish.

As for HRB, I went up against a few of their "Premier"? office preparers when I was auditing. They seriously knew their stuff. Let's welcome them with open arms - the more people we have to bounce things off of, the better.

ATG

[lenboush]

Hrb

After about 20 years in the business, I sold my business to HRB in 1995 and worked for them for 5 years due to a non-compete agreement. I dreaded working there because of all of the horror stories I had heard about their incompetence. I was surprised to find extremely capable people there including some of the finest preparers I had ever met. It is true that they hire a lot of new people who sometimes end up giving them a bad name, but the lion's share of returns with very much complexity are completed by highly qualified individuals.

Nine years later I still remain good friends with several of the preparers at HRB and even hired one of their best to come work with me.

I taught both the basic and some of the advanced classes while I worked there so I have a pretty good idea of what the training is like there and I would rate it very highly.

This season I tried to find another ex-HRBer to come work with me but without success. Of course, I only hire the highly experienced preparers so that does limit me.

So add my welcome to all the HRB folks who come here.

[abby]

training

I also got my initial training with the HRB basic course. I found it thorough and challenging. It prepared me (and many like me) to ace the Oregon Licensed Tax Preparer Exam.

Although I've recycled many of my texts over the years, I still have my 1994 HRB manual on the shelf. Although much of the law has changed, I keep it because of the clarity with which it presents the basic concepts.

[Burke]

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Augsburg College, a private liberal arts college located in Minneapolis, with a good reputation for those majoring in business. Four years out of college, I took the H&R Block course for preparing individual income tax returns. Six years after that, I took the H&R Block course for preparing partnership, corporation, and estate returns. I credit my having passed the Enrolled Agents exam that same year to me taking the two H&R Block courses.

I contend the training I received from H&R Block far exceeded the business training I received from Augsburg College. I believe their tax training far exceeds any four year College degree in taxes. The reason is H&R Block instructors are experienced tax professionals who sit across the desk from real tax clients doing tax returns during tax season. My College instructors were not practicing tax professionals. They taught from the text book, not experience.

I don’t think there is any question H&R Block employees receive quality training that helps them prepare a proper return. I’ve attended many tax seminars over the years, and none were superior to my H&R Block training. I think we should be honored to welcome more H&R Block employees on to this forum. You probably would be surprised to learn just how many contributors to this forum originally received their training from H&R Block.

Including me. I should have elaborated more in my post and not been so flip. I also started with HRB circa 1973, and at that time the training was excellent. I took Basic, and Advanced the next year (there were only 2 courses then), worked for them for 5 years, and taught Basic for the last two years. The experience of those years in different offices was immeasurable, exposing me to farms in one location, retirees and investments in another, and everything including the kitchen sink in the Main office. In addition, we were required to check other preparers' returns -- a minimum of 3 a day. (One of my colleagues recently told a prospective employee to his firm to go take the HRB course and work for them one year, then come back and see him.) Whether they still have such quality programs now, I cannot say, but I do get at least one new client each year from them.

[Lion]

Me too

I too started at HRB. Worked for them for 11 years, ten at a Premium office. Took most of their courses and have most of their texts, including 1996 Basic. Give them credit for getting me through the old EA exam on one try after taking their study course. The courses and texts were always excellent and thorough (well, I have one really bad Partnership book, but it's been rewritten since). I taught many courses over the years. Now they have a lot online via CCH and less taught locally. And, they're shorter courses, not as meaty. (The first time I taught Sole Proprietors, it was six sessions; the second time, it was four without any Depreciation which was then an entirely separate course.) With many classes, including the Basic, teaching computer preparation instead of just tax law and the physical, paper flow of the return and schedules. Went out on my own two years ago, going into my third season now.